3 months ago
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Gaurav Raheja, Professor astatine the Department of Architecture & Planning, IIT Roorkee, has introduced a caller concept, Building an Accessibility Conscious Kerala (BACK), to beforehand the State’s tourism sector.
He was speaking connected Accessible and Inclusive Reflections (AIR): Global Best Practices for Tourism astatine the two-day Kerala For All tourism conclave, organised by Kerala Tourism successful relation with The Hindu, which commenced astatine Hotel Grand Hyatt connected Saturday.
“ Tourism indispensable beryllium sustained arsenic an inclusive plan, not arsenic a abstracted plan,” Mr. Raheja said. He emphasised that thing exists successful isolation, adjacent successful tourism. While tourism whitethorn beryllium a abstracted section oregon ministry, it intersects with each aspects of life, including hospitality, travel, mobility, municipality infrastructure, information, and communication.
Mr. Raheja urged that the thought of tourism destinations should germinate into inclusive directions, since tourism is not conscionable astir destinations but astir aggregate possibilities. Giving a affirmative rotation to AQI (Air Quality Index), helium projected initiating the assessment, monitoring, and enhancement of an Accessibility Quality Index for Indian cities.
“India whitethorn not yet beryllium inclusive successful presumption of infrastructure, technology, and systemic frameworks, but determination exists a civilization of inclusivity — a willingness to clasp it,” Mr. Raheja observed. He stressed that ecology should beryllium the starting point, followed by nine and past the economy. However, helium lamented that existent sermon often begins with the economy, leaving ecology behind, and projects are considered lone if they are economically sustainable.
Global examples
Mr. Raheja cited planetary examples specified arsenic Jungfraujoch successful the Swiss Alps, Yehliu Geopark successful New Taipei, and the Black Forest successful Germany to item inclusive and accessible tourism experiences. “I afloat recognize and americium mindful that these whitethorn not beryllium straight replicable successful Kerala, but they tin surely animate us. If we privation to instrumentality Kerala forward, and India forward, connected the roadworthy representation of tourism and inclusion, specified models tin service arsenic triggers,” helium said.
